Why this course?

This joint Honours degree allows students to combine Law with Spanish.

The Law School at Strathclyde is one of Scotland’s leading providers of legal education. We are home to the country’s biggest student-run law clinic, which offers a unique, real-world, learning environment, and to Ardcalloch, a virtual community where the legal issues of everyday life are played out.

With more than 300 million native speakers, Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language in the world.

Studying with us will give you the chance to become a fluent linguist and, with our year abroad programme, an opportunity to experience living, working and/or studying in another country.

All of our LLB graduates satisfy the professional requirements of the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates to proceed to the post-degree stages of professional training required to become a practising lawyer in Scotland.

What you’ll study

Year 1

The core Law classes in first-year are: Voluntary Obligations; Contract and Promise; Law and Society; Legal Methods; Legal Process; Public Law 1. First-year Spanish classes introduce contemporary language, culture and studies of Spanish society, which will provide a basis for further specialisation in Years 2 and 3.

Year 2

Core Law classes in second-year are: Criminal Law 1; Public Law 2; Involuntary Obligations; Delict and Unjustified Enrichment; Property; and Domestic Relations. In Spanish, you'll continue to study the contemporary language, both written and spoken, through language exercises, including translation and oral practice.

Year 3

As a third-year student, the core Law classes you'll study are: Commercial Law; EU Law; and Evidence. You'll also select one Law elective from a list of options. ﻿Year 3 Spanish classes provide further detailed study of the language, written and spoken, with studies of set texts and practical exercises.

Year 4 (Year abroad)

Year 5

You'll select two honours classes in law, and a legal issue on which to focus your dissertation. Small group seminars replace formal lectures in Honours year. For final-year Spanish you'll take the relevant honours classes in spoken and written language, together with one class in Modern Spanish culture. These classes help you to you build on your ability to give professional presentations and interpreting skills.

Facilities

Law Clinic

Strathclyde’s Law Clinic is run by students for members of the public who cannot afford a lawyer and are not eligible for legal aid.

More than 200 of our students are now involved and regularly represent clients in Small Claims and Sheriff Courts.

Students receive basic training in legal skills, such as interviewing, negotiation and advocacy and (in the Clinical Legal Practice course) reflecting on experiences and on the ethics and justice of legal practice. Assessment in relevant courses such as Employment Law and Housing Law will be partly on the basis of students’ handling of cases.

This class engages with some challenging problems faced by law within contemporary society. It introduces students to some aspects of the social, political, and ethical conditions in which law operates. It deals with the interaction of law with justice, politics, morals and equality. The course will examine the role and challenges of law in times of social change. The course is structured around three key themes:

enable students to comprehend the structure, function, operation and proposals for reform of the courts and tribunals in Scotland

introduce students to the institutions and people involved in legal processes in Scotland

expose students to an established body of socio-legal scholarship on legal process and to encourage students to use this knowledge to critically assess liberal rule of law ideology

consider the professional personnel who inhabit the legal world and to examine within broader social and comparative context their respective roles and functions, their recruitment, training, complaints procedures and disciplinary sanctions

explore on a comparative basis social, political and economic issues in relation to the provision of legal services in Scotland

Following on from the introduction to the constitution – its key actors, institutions and their functions – in Public Law 1, students taking Public Law 2 will build upon that knowledge here: first by focusing on the ways in which legal (judicial review) and quasi-legal (tribunals, public inquiries, ombudsmen) bodies supervise the exercise of constitutional and administrative decision making; secondly, by a detailed analysis of the political and legal mechanisms which exist for the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. As such, Public Law 2 is concerned with the abuse of power, and the ways and means by which power can be limited and held to account – whether that is the power of a golf club to suspend an unruly member, the power of a local authority to order the compulsory purchase of privately owned property, or the power of the Prime Minister to wage war.

Spanish

This course will further your knowledge of the Spanish language and develop the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking in the Spanish language through intensive practical and communicative language work. This course aims to bring you up to level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. You'll extend your knowledge of the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world and focus on the development of contemporary Latin America and on how issues relating to it are reflected in its cultural production (for example, films, journalism, songs).

Following on from Spanish 1A, this course will broaden your knowledge of the Spanish language, and enhance basic skills already acquired in reading, writing, listening and speaking. This course aims to bring you up to level A2+ of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. It'll also introduce you to new aspects of the culture of Spain through the materials used. Practical language activities, such as pair and small group work and intensive exposure to Spanish through audio, video and written texts, will enable you to progress from the levels achieved in Spanish 1A. Successful completion of this class will enable students to take Spanish 2A in semester 1 of second year.

or

This course aims to give an introduction to the Spanish language, assuming limited or no previous knowledge of Spanish. It introduces everyday Spanish language, as well as certain aspects of the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. The class is intended to help students to develop the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking in basic Spanish.

This course builds on and develops the knowledge acquired in Introduction to Spanish 1A. The class will broaden your knowledge of Spanish language and enhance skills already acquired of reading, writing, listening and speaking in basic Spanish. This class also introduces students to new aspects of the culture of the Spanish-speaking world.

Year 2

Law

This course considers everything from the theory of why and how someone is held responsible for criminal actions, to many specific crimes, including murder, the less serious crimes of personal violence, crimes of dishonesty, breach of the peace and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Following on from Public Law 1, Public Law 2 aims to consolidate knowledge and understanding of constitutional and administrative law. Students taking this class will require to have taken Public Law 1 in the first year. It'll build upon knowledge of the key concepts and institutions of the UK constitution. As a second year class, its rationale is to give students the opportunity to progress from an understanding of the constitution to an understanding of the role of the law in the constitutional control of public power. This course encourages students to adopt an evaluative and critical stance towards ongoing constitutional developments. The course will focus on control of administrative action, both by the judiciary and by ombudsmen. The protection of individual rights will be a key feature, focusing on judicial protection but also encompassing the role of human rights institutions in the UK and Scotland. The future control of public power will be discussed, including topical debates concerning constitutional reform in this area.

The design of this class is primarily aimed at enhancing students’ ability to read cases, deal with case law and apply the techniques of case-analysis and common law development.

The student will acquire an in-depth and up to date knowledge and understanding, from both a legal and a social perspective, of the rules of law governing involuntary obligations, that is to say the law of delict and the law of unjustified enrichment.

Students will acquire the ability to apply the rules of law to particular fact situations in order to provide definitive answers to the problems exposed in these situations.

Students will develop critical and reasoning skills, giving them the ability to make and present personal and informed judgments on the rules of law and their application within the domestic legal system.

The general rationale of this class is to provide students with a contemporary understanding of the law of property, trusts and succession in Scotland, and to meet Law Society of Scotland requirements in this subject-area.

Spanish

This course will introduce you to more complex and formal areas of language, and enable you to develop further the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking in the Spanish language. It'll also introduce you to certain aspects of the different cultures of Spain and Latin America through the materials used. Practical language activities such as pair and small group work and intensive exposure to the Spanish language through audio, video and written texts will build on what you already know, and give you a feel for the Spanish language as it is used in professional contexts. This course aims to bring you up to level A2+/B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

This course builds on and develops the knowledge acquired in Spanish 2A and will introduce you to yet more complex and formal areas of language, improving and developing further the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking in the Spanish language. It'll also introduce you to certain aspects of the culture of Spain and Latin America through the materials used. Practical language activities such as pair and small group work and intensive exposure to the Spanish language through audio, video and written texts will build on what you already know, and give you a feel for the Spanish language as it is used in professional contexts. Successful completion of this class will enable students to take Spanish at third-year level. This course aims to bring you up to level B1+ of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

This course will explore the interlinked themes of independence and isolation in Spain and Latin America. The class is intended to give students a broad overview of Spanish and Latin American social, political and cultural history through the examination of specific texts and films, as well as to develop their critical and research skills.

Year 3

Law

Commercial law is a second year compulsory subject on the LLB (and LML) degree. The class provides students with an understanding of commercial law in a Scottish context. It partially meets the commercial law subject requirements and related skills outcomes of the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates (albeit that some of the commercial professional topics, eg sale of goods and insurance law, are dealt with by other courses).

Building on the knowledge acquired by students in first year, the general academic objective of the course is to examine the basic principles and rules concerning core aspects of commercial law, including the main principles of agency, partnership and company law, the law relating to various methods of payment (including consumer credit and bills of exchange) the rules governing the ways in which creditors can ‘secure’ repayment of a debt (eg through taking personal guarantees from third parties for repayment of the debt, or by establishing rights in security over debtor property); the basic principles of diligence; the consequences of both corporate and individual debtor inability to repay debts (corporate insolvency and personal bankruptcy respectively).

While the focus of the class is on ‘a black letter’ analysis of relevant statutory and common law in the broad commercial area, in order to aid understanding of relevant principles, the class also examines the policy rationales underlying the current law and recent and projected reforms in this area.

The EU law class focuses on the constitutional and institutional order of the EU as well as on the internal market. To this end, the class looks at the European integration process, the EU institutions, EU competences, the decision-making process within the EU, the principles underpinning the EU legal order and the principles governing the internal market.

The main focus of the course is on providing an overview of how the handling and proving of facts works in law and how this interacts with the law of evidence. The emphasis is on understanding and application, rather than the learning of the specific details of legal rules.

The course has three general academic aims:

to introduce students to theoretical and practical issues relating to the use and proof of facts in the Scottish legal system

introduce students to the central concepts, rules and principles of the Scots law of Evidence

give students an understanding of the interrelationship between the theory, practice and law relating to the use and proof of facts in the Scottish legal system

Spanish

This course builds on and develops the knowledge acquired in Spanish 2B and will consolidate the students’ knowledge and use of the Spanish language within an appropriate cultural context in order to enable the student to live, study and work in a Spanish-speaking country. This course aims to bring you up to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

This course aims to build on and develop the knowledge acquired in Spanish 3A and will focus on two relevant topics which includes the preparation for the year abroad. This course aims to bring you up to level B2+ of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. In addition to the final exam, a comprehensive project will comprise the other 50% of your final mark for this course. This project will enable you to put into practice and further develop the linguistic skills and cultural knowledge you have developed since you started studying Spanish at Strathclyde.

This course builds on and develops the knowledge acquired in Independence and isolation in Spain and Latin America - Hispanic Studies 2 (R4200), and adds a dimension of critical and theoretical awareness, as well as developing critical skills through a study of individual texts and films from Spain and different countries of Latin America, to build an understanding of the history and cultures in which they were produced.

Spanish

Compulsory classes

There are three strands in the Spanish 4 Language programme, which are closely integrated with each other: Language A (writing in Spanish), Language B (analysis and translation into English of Spanish texts), and Language C (oral presentation and interpreting). The programme will enable students to function in the target language at a sufficiently high level of ability, both spoken and written, to be accepted as a fully competent member of the target language community, and effectively to discharge a professional role within and/or in relation to that community.

This is a level four Honours class designed to build on the knowledge of Hispanic cultural studies acquired in Spanish and Latin American Studies 1A, II and III. The purpose of this class is to explore contemporary issues in Hispanic cultures. Class content will reflect the research specialisms of staff in Spanish and the actual texts and films studies may vary from year to year to reflect student demand and staff availability, as determined by the research focus of the subject. Each year, the class will focus on specific aspects of Hispanic history, politics, society and/or cultures. For example, possible class titles are: Gender and Sexuality in the Hispanic world; The Politics of the Fantastic in Hispanic Fiction and Film; Dictatorship and Resistance in Hispanic Cinema.

Elective classes

Rooted in the Spanish History of Ideas, this course explores the condition and motivations for the development of some of the existing main currents of thought in Spain since 1989. It encourages a critical understanding of Spanish history and contextualises the work of several Spanish seminal thinkers (Unamuno, Ortega, Azaña and Zambrano) and it explores their thought in relation to the key themes of the course: ideas, beliefs, and identity.

This course builds on and develops the knowledge on Latin American literature and culture acquired in Spanish and Latin American Studies II and III; and adds a dimension of theoretical analysis, as well as developing critical skills through a study of texts from the different countries of Latin America.

Assessment

Law School assessment methods include:

exams

multiple choice exams

problem-based and critical analysis essays

presentations

group work

reports

case studies

reflective diaries

A range of assessment methods are used for students of Spanish. Written exams include translations from and into Spanish, writing for a specific purpose and essay questions. Continuous assessment involves exercises ranging from online grammar tests to the group project, which allows students to conduct research and prepare a presentation.

Learning & teaching

Among the aims of teaching at the Law School is to help students develop knowledge and understanding of the principles, nature and development of law and legal institutions, both in Scotland and in other jurisdictions.

Law students are encouraged to visit courts, participate in moot courts and see, first-hand, how institutions, such as tribunals, operate.

International Baccalaureate

38 (English HL5, Maths SL)

HND

HND Legal Services: Year 1 entry: AAA - AAB in the Graded Units, Higher B, or equivalent, in language to be studied; applicants must have at least three years post-school experience before embarking on FE study. Other relevant HND qualifications will be considered on an individual basis; please contact us for advice.

Additional information

Deferred entry

Deferred entry accepted

Widening access

We want to increase opportunities for people from every background. Strathclyde selects our students based on merit, potential and the ability to benefit from the education we offer. We look for more than just your grades. We consider the circumstances of your education and will make lower offers to certain applicants as a result.

Upon successful completion, you will be able to progress to this degree course at the
University of Strathclyde.

Fees & funding

How much will my course cost?

All fees quoted are for full-time courses and per academic year unless stated otherwise.

Scotland/EU

2018/19: £1,820

Rest of UK

2018/19: £9,250

Assuming no change in Rest of UK fees policy over the period, the total amount payable by undergraduate students will be capped. For students commencing study in 2017/18, this is capped at £27,750 (with the exception of the MPharm and Integrated Masters courses); MPharm students pay £9,250 for each of the four years. Students studying on Integrated Masters degree programmes pay an additional £9,250 for the Masters year with the exception of those undertaking a full-year industrial placement where a separate placement fee will apply.

International

2018/19: £15,100

University preparation programme fees

Additional fees

Law

Course materials & costs

Recommended text for first year Law module 'Law & Society' M9113 costs £30.

Spanish

Course materials & costs

The majority of course materials are available to students via Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Students can print course materials at their own expense.

The cost of course texts does not normally exceed £30 per academic year. Key language texts are used over 2 or 3 years of study. Multiple copies are also available in the University Library.

Study abroad

Studying abroad is an integral part of the degree course in Modern Languages - and usually takes place in Year 4. Students who choose to study in France, Spain or Italy are eligible for an Erasmus and grant to help minimise the extra costs of living abroad. This however, is not a full maintenance grant.

Typically, students will receive around £3,000 for a full academic year of study abroad. Students are required to meet travel, accommodation and extra living costs. These costs will vary dependent on the country of study. An estimated extra spend of £1,000 should be budgeted.

A range of scholarships are available for students of French, Spanish and Italian - and awarded on a competitive basis.

Students who work as English language assistants will receive a monthly stipend. In the case of France, this amounts approximately to 964.88 Euros per month gross (800 Euros net after social security deductions). Similar stipends are paid in Spain and Italy.

How can I fund my studies?

Students from Scotland and the EU

If you're a Scottish or EU student, you may be able to apply to the Student Award Agency Scotland (SAAS) to have your tuition fees paid by the Scottish government. Scottish students may also be eligible for a bursary and loan to help cover living costs while at University.

Available scholarships

Careers

Most Strathclyde LLB graduates enter the legal profession after completing the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice and a two-year traineeship in a law firm.

The single European market and the mutual recognition of legal qualifications in the EU member states allows lawyers to practise their profession outside their national jurisdictions (often on completion of a short conversion course) and Law with a Modern Language graduates are well-placed to work professionally in the country of the language they have studied.

Knowledge of the law, legal system and language of at least one other EU member state greatly enhances career opportunities in the fields of industry, commerce, banking and accountancy, central and local government.

A 2013 survey by Obelisk Legal Support Solutions looked at the language skills of 2,930 registered in-house lawyers for the UK operations of the FTSE 250 companies. Of those, nearly a quarter also speak a foreign language, while a total of 65 different languages are spoken across the FTSE 250. In addition, the top three languages spoken are Europe-centric, with French leading the way on 405 speakers.

Contact us

Apply

How to apply – 10 things you need to know

All undergraduate applications are made through UCAS
Go to the UCAS website to apply – you can apply for up to five courses.

It costs £12 to apply for a course
The cost is £23 for two to five courses.

The deadline is 15 January each year
This is the application deadline for most courses. However, please check the details for your particular course. View a full list of UCAS key dates.

You might be asked to attend an interview
Most of our courses make offers based on the UCAS application. However some might ask you to attend an interview or for a portfolio of work. If this is the case, this will be stated in the prospectus entry requirements.

It’s possible to apply directly to Year 2
Depending on your qualifications, you might be able to apply directly to Year 2 - or even Year 3 - of a course. Speak to the named contact for your course if you want to discuss this.

There’s three types of decision

unconditional – you’ve already met our entry requirements

conditional – we’ll offer you a place if you meet certain conditions, usually based on your exams

unsuccessful – we’ve decided not to offer you a place

You need to contact UCAS to accept your offer Once you’ve decided which course you’d like to accept, you must let UCAS know. You don’t need to decide until you’ve received all offers. UCAS will give you a deadline you must respond by.

You’ll choose one as your firm choice. If the offer is unconditional or if you meet the conditions, this is the course you’ll study.

You’ll also have an insurance choice. This is a back-up option if you don’t meet the conditions of your first choice.

You don’t need to send us your exam results (Scotland, England & Wales)
If you’re studying in Scotland, England or Wales, we receive a copy of your Higher/Advanced Higher/A Level results directly from the awarding body.
However, if you are studying a different qualification, then please contact us to arrange to send your results directly.